1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a raised floor having a number of separated layers to provide conduits for air-conditioning and computer network wiring.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In an office building where a centralized air-conditioning system is used to provide cool air to a number of offices, a hanging ceiling is usually required to be installed to conceal the air-conditioning ducting. Such a hanging ceiling, as shown in FIG. 1, is formed by a base, a plurality of crossed plates, vertical frames, horizontal frames, and other components to be installed under an existing ceiling. In most cases, the air-conditioning vents are also located on the hanging ceiling. Because of the long distance between the vents and the floor below, the cool air coming out from the vent will lose some of its effect by the hot air floating above the room before it can cool the air near the floor level. Thus, in order to retain the desired cool temperature in the room, the thermostat must be lowered. This results in a waste of electrical power. Furthermore, as the cool air is directly and constantly blown toward the head of the people working in the offices, work-related sickness can sometimes be induced. Moreover, as the dust on the hanging ceiling is dispersed into the room by the vented air, it degrades the air quality in the room. More importantly, whenever the air conditioning ducting needs to be repaired, it is necessary to open up the hanging ceiling. This will cost a lot of time and money. Furthermore, in an office where there is an existing raised floor for accommodating the wiring for computer network, an additional hanging ceiling will reduce the working space of the office.
It is advantageous to provide a raised floor having a number of layers to form a number of separated air gaps so that the air conditioning ducting and the computer network wiring can both be accommodated. This type of raised floor can reduce the cost of air conditioning as the cool air is provided near the floor level.